No More Mister Nice Guy
by Ryuuko1
Summary: Luigi is tired of living in his brother's shadow, and vows to finally *do* something about it. (A response to the Mario Kart 8 "Luigi Death Glare" meme)
1. Prologue

**Author**: I got sucked into the Luigi Death Stare meme for Mario Kart 8, but since I: 1) don't own the game, and 2) don't know how to make videos for shit, I write instead. I'm entertained by an evil-ish Luigi, given his canon-personality. If you watch Game Theory's "Mario is Mental" video, you can kinda see Luigi's snap being justified, too. I've always like Luigi better anyway. ANYWAY. Have a fanfic. That may-or-may-not be continued.

**Disclaimer**:The first _Super Mario_ game was released two years before I was born. There is no way in hell that the franchise is mine.

**No More Mister Nice Guy**

Luigi drummed his fingers against his arm and stared out at the racetrack.

The first races were to begin the next day, and he was looking forward to them, perhaps more than he ought to. But, to him, they represented an opportunity, a chance to show that he wasn't_ just_ Mario's brother, that he wasn't _just_ Daisy's boyfriend, that he wasn't _just_ anything.

Luigi took the keys to his kart out of one of his pockets and turned them over slowly between his fingers. He was tired of being Player-2, of being in his brother's shadow, of being overlooked.

They were the _Mario_ brothers, not the _Luigi_ brothers.

Everyone knew of the romance between Mario and Princess Peach, it was a given that Mario would one day be a king when Peach ascended to Queen.

But, him? Luigi? He was only partly a hero, a hero by association. His relationship with Daisy would obviously be only a passing thing until someone like _Mario_ came along to sweep her off her feet and far away from Luigi.

Everyone knew _of_ him, but very few people could actually claim that they knew Luigi for Luigi. It was unfair to be delegated to second-fiddle when he hadn't been able to prove himself in any meaningful way in the first place. Time and again he asked, _begged_, Mario to let him come along, but he was always turned away.

"It's too dangerous," Mario would tell him with an infuriatingly charming smile. In those three innocuous words were a whole host of meanings that Luigi finally, _finally,_ saw.

Luigi had first perceived it as brotherly concern, as love. Mario wanted to protect him, of course he did. Mario had experience saving the Mushroom Kingdom; Luigi did not. Everything he did was for Luigi's safety and for the benefit of _everyone_ in the Kingdom.

Now, Luigi knew differently. Now, he knew what Mario really meant.

"Don't steal my thunder."

"I don't want people to see that you're just as heroic as me."

"You'll only get in my way."

"You're not as strong/smart as I am, you won't be able to do the things I do."

And, perhaps worst of all: "I don't love you enough to include you in my life."

Luigi's hand clamped down around his keys and he let out a long, slow breath.

_I will not be number 2 any longer_, Luigi resolved.

The Luigi that his friends and brother would meet on the track the next day would not be the Luigi they expected. He was out to _win_, and would happily sacrifice anyone who got in his way. What had being a "nice guy" gotten him anyway?

Nothing.

Nothing except an eternal spot in Mario's shadow.

Luigi pocketed his keys again and walked towards the stalls where all the karts were kept.

_Tomorrow, everything is going to change,_ Luigi thought grimly, a smile tugging at his lips. Luigi ran a hand over the gleaming curves of his own kart, marked visibly with an _L_. His eyes narrowed and he hissed through clenched teeth when he detected the faint impression of an _M_—of course his kart was one of Mario's cast-offs, one he didn't want. Luigi always got the hand-me-downs, from toothbrushes to (if he was brutally honest with himself) girlfriends. Luigi had very little that he could claim as his own.

Luigi felt a surge of _hate_, and he glared at Mario's kart, parked right beside his own.

As his blood pounded in his ears, as his body tingled with the strength of the emotion he had suppressed for so long, Luigi resolved: _He won't know what hit him._


	2. Chapter 1

**Author: **Somehow, this became a thing. The Luigi of the Prologue mellowed slightly as I wrote him into a story, so if there seems to be a shift in attitude, well, that's why.

**Disclaimer**: ahahahaha

**Chapter 1**

The day dawned bright and sunny, peaceful, and quiet in the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario had defeated the latest threat, everything was safe, and everyone was happy.

Well, almost everyone.

Luigi paced his room in the house that had been given to he and Mario for service to the Kingdom, scowling at the floor. He took off his hat, scratched his head, and tossed the green headwear onto his desk's chair in disgust.

He had been doing _well _in the races. He was on the podium nearly every time, but that didn't matter. Even if he placed in front of Mario, his victory was considered lucky, or the other racers had had bad runs, or that Mario had _let_ him win, not that Luigi won on his own skill.

Eventually, Luigi had stopped focusing on placing in front of Mario and rather chose to simply do his best to just _stop_ his brother from winning. It was more gratifying to see his brother frustrated and hurting than coming in first.

Luigi was sure he shouldn't feel that way. It wasn't good, it wasn't right. It was doing nothing but satisfying a petty, long-suppressed need to manifest his frustration over Mario's monopoly on the spotlight. Luigi knew he wasn't half as heroic, but he had done things to help the Mushroom Kingdom, too! He had saved his brother's life!

_Then why, _why,_ am I so easily pushed aside…?_

He needed a different way to show that he was as heroic as Mario, but he didn't know _how_ to do that. Mario's chances to show his heroism had always been almost accidental. Maybe Luigi would get equally lucky one day…?

_Yeah, right,_ he thought bitterly. _Mario is the lucky one, not I._

Luigi rubbed his face and sighed. He picked up his hat off his chair, straightened it on his head, checked his mustache in his mirror, and left his room to greet his brother with as much good cheer as he could muster.

Mario was his brother, afterall, and even if he resented him, they were family. He'd never abandon Mario.

Even if he really, _really_ wanted to.

He descended the stairs, a "good morning" on his lips, but the words died in his mouth when he saw Mario slumped on the table.

He knew that Mario had been beaten up pretty badly the day before (most of which was his fault, but _details_), but the man that was nearly unconscious on the table was suffering from more than physical injuries.

"Bro?"

Mario looked up and was, perhaps, the most pitiful sight Luigi had ever seen. Mario was clearly sick, and, coupled with the physical pains of the last few days, was bruised and flushed.

"Mario," Luigi began, but was cut off by one of Mario's trademark cocky, charming smiles.

"Hey, Weegee," Mario semi-slurred as he pushed himself upright, only to groan and slump back down to rest his forehead on his crossed arms.

"Mario," Luigi said, his resentment vanishing into concern, he even managing to ignore the nickname he loathed. "Hey, let's get you back to bed."

"I'll be fine. Today's big race is against Bowssser," Mario said into the kitchen table.

Luigi shook his head and walked over to his brother. Luigi hoisted Mario out of the chair and staggered under his superior weight; Luigi forced himself to stand strong.

"I can walk," Mario protested, but Luigi ignored him and dragged him up the stairs.

Luigi tucked Mario into Mario's bed and put a hand to Mario's forehead and the other to his own, trying to gauge if his brother had a fever or not. When it was painfully obvious that such was the case, Luigi sighed softly.

_I should stay and take care of him,_ he thought, but an alarmingly large part of him immediately rebelled at the selfless notion. Like Mario had said, the big race that day featured Bowser. If he could defeat Bowser, then maybe, _maybe,_ he'd get the recognition he deserved.

Luigi was briefly torn between taking care of the only brother he had and the new-found resolution for independence from said brother.

For a long time, he would have given up his chance at glory to nurse his brother back to health. But, Mario had a girlfriend who could take care of him just as well, if not better than, Luigi himself. Mario would probably appreciate the feminine touch anyway.

_Not like he's ever cared for me when I was sick,_ Luigi thought, bitterness coloring the thought.

"I'm gonna get the Princess," Luigi told Mario, who merely groaned unhappily. "She'll be able to take care of you."

"Why can't you stay here with me?" Mario whined, and Luigi's progress to the door was stopped dead.

"Don't you want someone to beat Bowser in the race today?" Luigi asked, brutally smothering his irritation. Previous experience would have had him say 'yes' to the request, which was why Mario asked, _demanded_ even, but things were changing—_he_ was changing. "I figured that since you can't, I'd do so in your place."

Mario was silent for a long moment before he said, "Yeah. Bowser needs to be beaten. You sure you can do it, Weegee?"

Luigi gritted his teeth at the nickname, but his voice didn't betray him. "Of course I can. I'm your brother, right?"

"And no-one can beat the Mario brothers," Mario said, which made Luigi almost physically flinch.

"Y-yeah," Luigi replied. "I'm gonna go get the Princess and then head to the racetrack."

Mario made a sound that Luigi interpreted as agreement, and Luigi quickly left the room.

_No one can beat the _Mario_ brothers,_ rang through Luigi's mind and made him grimace.

He stepped outside of his home and took in a deep breath of air, trying to find some modicum of serenity so he could deal with everyone else without snapping at them; they weren't the cause of his ire, there was no need to take his bad mood out on them.

He flagged down a Yoshi, who was going about doing his daily deliveries. The dinosaur gave him a cheerful chirrup and Luigi smiled, distant and dim memories of being saved and cared for by a group of Yoshi tugging at his mind.

"Can I ask you a favor?" Luigi asked, and the Yoshi turned his attention to him. "Mario is feeling sick, but he wants me to race for him, so I won't be able to take care of him. Think you could get the Princess or Toad to watch over him instead?"

The Yoshi seemed to briefly consider the request before nodding solemnly and making a few noises that Luigi decided indicated that he'd do it as soon as possible.

"Thanks," Luigi said and gave the dinosaur a smile before walking away.

_Well, one thing taken care of,_ Luigi thought and mentally crossed the problem of caring for Mario off of his mental list.

Almost immediately a wave of guilt crested over him, which made him sigh. It was difficult, wanting to prove that he was more than just Mario's taller shadow. He had cared about Mario so much for so long that struggling into the light was harder than it had any right to be.

He supposed that he was working against habit, and habits were notoriously hard to break.

Being out of the house and away from Mario was oddly relaxing—he felt he could breathe. Admittedly, only one person in five gave him a second glance (if any at all), but Luigi was used to that. Used to being ignored.

Luigi scuffed his shoe on the street and kept his facial expression neutral. _Not anymore. I won't be ignored anymore._

He made his way towards the racetrack, trying to plan out the best way to beat Bowser on Toad's Turnpike (which was where the race was set to be), when he was roughly shoved aside and into a nearby building. Once he stopped seeing stars, it was to find Waluigi looming nearby, Wario a step behind him.

Luigi readjusted his overalls and hat and gave the two mischief-makers a glare. "What do you want?" Luigi asked, unsurprised by the venom in his voice.

"Just givin' you a taste of what you'll be feeling during the race today," Waluigi sneered, although there was wariness in his eyes.

"Heard that the pesky red plumber is sick," Wario said with a cackle. "You have no-one to protect you."

Luigi bristled even though he knew that that was exactly the reaction they wanted.

"I don't need Mario to protect me," Luigi snapped. "And don't think that Bowser will be the most dangerous racer on the track today."

He pushed the two aside and stalked past them.

_This does not bode well,_ Luigi thought, nervousness pricking at him. _First Mario is sick, then those two corner me; what's next, running into Bowser himself?_

Luigi abruptly remembered that the only luck he had was bad luck when he, in fact, _did_ nearly collide with the giant reptile. Bowser completely brushed him off, however, sparing him only the briefest of glances and an annoyed sneer. Bowser's minions were less dismissive, however, shoving him around between each other, Luigi unable to mount a successful defense against the bluntly clawed hands.

He was dizzy and roughed-up by the time they passed, and he had to steady himself against a light-pole until he recovered.

Luigi was disgusted by his own weakness, and wanted to puke, not out of being tossed around, but because of how _pathetic_ he was.

_No-one would push Mario around this way,_ he thought once he was steady again.

He reached the kart garage and walked through the varied vehicles until he found his own, and sat down in his favorite.

He leaned his forehead against the steering wheel and took in a number of deep breaths. He had to be able to concentrate. He had to be able to defeat Bowser. He had to grind Wario and Waluigi into the pavement. He had to prove that he was _someone_, that he wasn't a tall, green extension of Mario.

_All the other races haven't mattered, though._ _What will make this one any different?_

Around him, he heard the other contestants trickling in, and he closed his eyes to block them out. He knew they would ignore him, but he didn't need to see the complete disregard, how their eyes would simply slip over him in the search for his older brother. Only Daisy looked for him before Mario.

Luigi felt a delicate hand placed on his tense shoulder and opened his eyes, hoping to find Daisy; his stomach dropped when it was Peach.

"I thought you'd want to know Mario is doing okay," she said, concern in her gaze—Luigi knew that concern wasn't for him, though.

_She'll be an easy target today,_ Luigi thought distantly. _She won't be paying attention._

"Thanks," he said aloud, giving her a relieved smile. "I knew I could count on you."

"I wish he could race today. I wouldn't have to worry at all," Peach said with a sigh. She removed her hand and Luigi watched her wander over to her karts.

Luigi gripped his wheel tightly in an attempt to exert control over the anger that swamped him. He knew it wasn't really Peach whom he was angry with, that she wasn't the problem.

He still resented her for thinking that the entire race hinged on Mario's participation.

He had just got his emotions under his control again when he saw Daisy approaching. He gave her a small wave and a smile, which she returned with more vigour.

"How's my hero doing?" she asked and kissed his cheek, which made Luigi grin stupidly.

"I'm fine," he lied. "I'm gonna be number one today!"

Daisy smiled. "I bet you will. I'll be cheering you on."

"You're not racing?"

Daisy shook her head. "Not this time. Bowser is…" she searched for a word before settling on, "intimidating."

Luigi nodded in complete agreement. "I'll win for you, okay?"

Daisy smiled. "Promise?"

"Of course," Luigi replied.

Toad's voice came over the loud-speakers, announcing the beginning of the race, and Daisy gave Luigi one more kiss for good luck.

"I'll see you on the podium," she said and walked away.

Luigi pushed aside his desire to outshine his brother and replaced it with the desire to honor Daisy with a victory. It was a worthier emotion and goal.

Luigi started his kart and drove towards the gate that would lead them to the portal to the Turnpike.

Luigi flinched when another kart bumped into his own, and glared at Waluigi, who merely gave him a grin so reminiscent of Mario's that Luigi swore to shell Waluigi as often as he could. The transportation washed over him and he abruptly found himself in the eternally congested racetrack. He lined up with the rest of the contestants and gave Bowser a side-long glance. Bowser seemed certain of his victory, almost smugly so, which gave Luigi pause. There also seemed to be more of his cronies than usual among the racers, and Luigi would have sworn that he saw familiar villainous faces in the cabs of the trucks and cars that surrounded them.

_I've got a bad feeling,_ Luigi thought, but forced himself to focus on the race. If something happened, if Bowser pulled a fast one…well, he'd deal with that if it happened. That's how Mario did things, anyway.

Planning had never been his brother's strong suit.

The lights counted down to go, and Luigi floored it, he leaving with the main throng of racers. Bowser, oddly, stayed in the back of the group, which made uneasy chills crawl up and down Luigi's spine.

_He is definitely plotting something. _

Still, Luigi had a race to win and a number of people to shut down. Three red shells as his first weapon was an auspicious start, and he used one each on one of Bowser's Koopalings, leaving them spinning behind him.

He supposed that something of his resolution, of the competitive hatred that he fought to control, communicated itself in his glances at those who passed him or whom he passed—many of the racers visibly shivered (Donkey Kong seemed merely amused). Luigi didn't fully mind, though. If he couldn't be revered, then maybe he could be feared?

It was a notion that gave Luigi pause. Everyone knew of Mario, who was a hero. But, everyone _also _knew of Bowser, and Bowser was most definitely _not_ a hero.

Before his mind could wander down a path that Luigi wasn't sure he wanted to follow, a number of trucks tried to squeeze him between them, and Luigi quickly used his acoustic weapon to push them away from him and give him a narrow space with which to escape.

_They aren't supposed to…_

Luigi quickly found himself avoiding not only the attacks of the other racers, responding to Waluigi's green shell with a boomerang to his head three times, but also the dangers presented by intentionally malicious traffic. He had to toss a bomb in front of him to clear space for himself (as well as taking out Wario), even if it singed his moustache a little.

Dodging a green shell from a Koopa, he had to keep himself from being sideswiped by a car, and flinched as he nearly ran into the wall due to spinning out on a banana peel. Bowser's laugh grated on his ears as the reptile passed, and Luigi was viciously pleased when three separate shells hit Bowser.

Luigi re-entered the race, and barely evaded getting caught in the blast of a bob-om that wiped out both Wario and Waluigi.

_Too bad I couldn't do it,_ Luigi thought dispassionately.

Luigi picked up a mushroom, which let him pull closer to the front. Two Koopalings pulled up beside him, one with red shells, the other, green. Luigi looked between the two of them, then stepped on his brakes. As he had hoped, they ran into each other, resulting in a rather spectacular crash that pulled in Mario's baby-version, and Rosaline wasn't quick enough to avoid the pile-up either.

It was all rather…

Behind him, he heard Peach cry out in a mixture of horror and pain. When Luigi looked over his shoulder, it was to see her trapped against the wall by trucks and two Koopa racers. He was torn between the desire to win and the instinct to save the Princess. He couldn't let Bowser win, but he couldn't let Peach be hurt either, if just for Mario's sake, so used the last two of the green shells he had picked up to knock out the two Koopa.

Luigi feared that what he had done wasn't enough when a bob-om exploded and destroyed the trucks that were caging her. Luigi sighed in relief when he saw a Yoshi helping Peach out of the wreckage, obviously giving up his contention to make sure she was looked away and the two receded quickly into the distance.

A confusion of emotions rattled through Luigi as he sped along the track. _Does he ever feel this way?_ Luigi wondered as he maneuvered around a banana peel, Donkey Kong wiping out on it instead. Luigi picked up three red shells and removed Toadette and Baby Peach, clearing the way for himself and, consequently, also pulling the attention of the cars and trucks away from the two females.

The crippling doubt that was swirling through Luigi was woefully familiar, as was the indecision and terror over the correct course of action. The fear of failure, the knowledge that he had something larger-than-life to live up to, was paralyzing.

Luigi shook himself._ No. No more fear. I can't afford to be afraid anymore._

Still, it begged the question: _Does my fear make me a better person than Mario, if his bravery means ignoring the plight of others to achieve his goal?_

As he made a turn, trying to shake the clinging questions out of his mind, the stands about him were thrown suddenly into chaos as Bowser's minions appeared out of seemingly nowhere. Luigi looked around sharply and found that all the trucks were gunning for him—especially since he was the only racer still going besides Bowser himself.

Luigi wove his way through traffic, sweat trickling down the small of his back.

_Does Mario feel like this? Like if he loses, something terrible will happen? Or…maybe he doesn't even think he's going to lose. That would be more like him—he simply wouldn't think he _could_ lose._

"You think you're clever, greenie?" Bowser taunted as he pulled up beside Luigi. "You did most of my work for me!"

Luigi ground his teeth and settled on glaring at Bowser, trying to pack all of his frustration and simmering anger in the look.

Bowser's grin briefly faltered before it spread into an even wider one and he laughed.

"Oh, this is going to be _fun_."

"Not for you," Luigi said coldly and tossed a red shell at the reptilian king.

Bowser blocked it with a green shell before they both picked up new weapons. Luigi swore softly at the three mushrooms Bowser had, he himself only gaining one green shell.

Bowser used all three in quick succession, pulling ahead of Luigi. Luigi was forced to use the green shell to destroy a banana peel left on the tracks by one of the racers and tried to eke out what speed he could from his kart.

_I can't lose this,_ Luigi thought, desperation coloring his thoughts. He picked up a weapon and a malicious grin pulled across his face.

_Eat blue shell,_ Luigi thought gleefully and tossed the shell away, it immediately honing in on its target. Luigi laughed as he passed the recovering Bowser, and elation flooded him as he flew towards the finish line.

It was almost painfully easy, taunting the trucks and cars into attacking him, resulting in massive pile-ups behind him, blocking Bowser's way. He knew that there would be hell to pay regarding the structural damage, but Mario had done the same kind of thing and people had forgiven him for it, surely the same would apply to him. He _was_ Mario's brother—that had to count for _something._

Luigi frowned at the steering wheel as he crossed the finish line, the victory feeling oddly hollow.

He slowed to a stop to see that the other racers that had been knocked out of the race had taken it upon themselves to control the mayhem that had broken out. Luigi gave Donkey Kong a nod, which was returned with an equally solemn one. Luigi was surprised to see Wario and Waluigi congratulating themselves, but he figured that if they thought that if they couldn't win a race, might as well win a fight.

_I should have been up there helping,_ Luigi thought as he stepped out of the kart. He felt that the trophy ceremony would be forgone in favor of recovery from the attack; once again, his accomplishments were to be ignored.

"It doesn't matter that you beat me," Bowser said, and Luigi turned to face him, Luigi keeping his face as impassive as possible. "You've lost anyway."

It was true. Luigi could almost hear the whispered comparisons.

Mario would have finished the race sooner. Mario would have found a way to prevent the attack. If Mario had been racing, there would be no damage and no-one would be hurt.

Mario, Mario, Mario.

Luigi shook his head dismissively. "And you lost to Mario's lowly little brother. What does that say about _you?_"

Bowser growled as Luigi walked away.

It said something that Luigi was able to use himself as an insult.

Luigi knew that his kart would be taken away and serviced—or, it should be. If it wasn't, that would say more than anything whispered behind his back.

Luigi didn't want to go back to his home, but he had nowhere else to go.

_Maybe Peach took him to the palace. Maybe Mario won't be there._

Perhaps that wouldn't be as much a relief as he hoped.

He wavered between waning to make sure Mario heard what really happened to avoiding him all together because he was certain that Mario would pick apart everything that he purportedly did wrong.

He stopped abruptly in the middle of the sidewalk and ignored the people who parted around him before rejoining each other on the other side.

_This is why,_ Luigi thought, shaking slightly. This_ is why I never tried before. Because everything I do is going to be pulled apart, examined, and set against Mario's accomplishments. Better to live in his shadow than be torn to pieces by his adoring public. Perhaps it is better to be a coward. Perhaps it is better to not care about what other people think, and let Mario have his spotlight. _

Luigi rubbed his face, suddenly exhausted, and the throng that had once seemed so far apart suddenly crowded him, judgment in their eyes.

_I don't care what he thinks,_ Luigi lied to himself. _Maybe if I have space to think I'll be able to come up with counter-explanations for everything that people say._

Luigi laughed softly, bitterly.

_It doesn't matter what I do, does it?_ Luigi asked the void that pressed down on his soul. _I'm never going to escape him._

Luigi was hit with sudden panic at the realization that Daisy might have gotten hurt. He immediately turned and jogged towards her home, heart racing as a thousand terrible scenarios ran through his mind.

The guards let him through and he nearly fainted from relief when he found Daisy perfectly fine.

"Daisy," Luigi said, unashamed of the intensity of his emotion. "You're okay!"

Daisy gave him a bright smile and gestured for him to sit down. "You did wonderful today."

Luigi take the seat she gestured to before taking her hands in his. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I should've stopped or something, not just left you."

Daisy gave him a soft smile. "You did the best you could. If you hadn't kept on going, Bowser would have won, and who knows what kind of damage that, coupled with his attack, would have done."

"It would have meant nothing if you had been hurt," Luigi said softly.

Daisy gave him a gentle kiss and replied, "Congratulations on coming in first place."

Luigi felt strangely giddy. Even if only Daisy recognized his win, that was something. It meant that he was somebody to at least _one_ person (besides his brother, of course).

"How about a victory lunch?"

Luigi grinned. "You know the way to a man's heart, Daisy."

Daisy laughed, stood, and pulled Luigi along behind her, heading to the kitchen.

"Pasta, right?" Luigi blatantly suggested.

Daisy laughed. "If that's what you want."

_This is better than any trophy,_ Luigi thought, smiling more genuinely than he had in longer than he cared to think. It was easy to push Mario out of his mind when around someone who actually _loved_ him.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author**: ALL the Luigi! 8D Seriously, I love the man more than I should, and yet I'm terrible to him. Thank you to everyone who chooses to review. I do appreciate them all.

**Disclaimer**: Nope.

**Chapter 2**

The last thing Luigi expected when he opened the door the morning two days after the race to get the newspaper from a Yoshi was for the dinosaur to give him a strangely apologetic look and hand him an official-looking envelope. Luigi tossed the newspaper on the kitchen table after closing the door and opened the envelope, a familiar feeling of dread stealing over him.

He skimmed the letter before his eyes caught on a single word.

He had been paralyzed by the contents of the message, and it was only when Mario took the letter out of his numb fingers that h was brought back to reality.

"Mario!" Luigi exclaimed, jerked out of his horror, his eyes daring to his older brother's. "I'm…I'm disqualified? But, but—" Luigi descended into sputtering incoherence, disbelief clinging to his throat. "How can—why would they…?"

Mario shrugged and gave his brother a small, reassuring smile. "Look, it's all probably just a misunderstanding. I know you aren't the kind of person to go out of your way to hurt someone."

"_Bowser_ was racing," Luigi pointed out.

"Which is why this is probably nothing," Mario said and casually ripped up the notice and tossed it into the trash can. "Just do something to prove that you're not what they think you are. I think I remember overhearing Daisy saying that a nearby town is dealing with an infestation of ghosts. Clearing them out will definitely clear your name."

Luigi tugged absently on his mustache, anxiety making his skin itch.

_Who noticed?_ He wondered. _I would have thought that people would have been happy to peg it on Bowser and his cronies._

Luigi briefly felt a flash of suspicion that somehow, _somehow,_ Mario was responsible, but that made no sense—he had been really sick, how would he have watched the race?

"Maybe you can also help clean up the Turnpike?" Mario offered. "Since they also cited the damage you did to the track."

Luigi rubbed the back of his neck. _Manual labor or ghost hunting. Great._

"I'll go get the ghosts first," Luigi heard himself say. "And if…and if they still don't believe me, I'll help make repairs."

Mario gave him a congenial slap on the shoulder and said, "That's the spirit, Weegee!"

Luigi had the vey strong urge to hit his brother back with malicious intent—he _hated_ that nickname and wished he could do something to stop Mario from using it (although it was entirely possible that Mario used the nickname because he knew it bothered Luigi).

"Have you been cleared to race?" Luigi forced himself to ask.

Mario shook his head. "Peach told me I need to rest another day," Mario replied sullenly. "But it looks like Bowser won't be coming back anytime soon."

Luigi strained to hear the "Thanks to you," but he knew it would never come. Of course it wouldn't. Luigi couldn't do something like that, be responsible for something worthwhile, something that Mario would do.

It never came, just as Luigi expected.

"I'll find out where this place is, then get my stuff and head off," Luigi said, no hint of disappointment in his voice. "Feel better, okay?"

Mario nodded and smiled before turning to the dilemma of what to have for breakfast.

Luigi's ears were continuously burning from all the anger directed at him, but he refused to curl in on himself and scurry along to where Daisy lived, which was adjacent to the palace. It would make people think he was guilty, and he wanted to project innocence. The illusion of righteous indignation would make people reconsider their appraisal of his behavior. Luigi refused to be pigeon-holed into a new box, especially if it was worse than being Mario's brother.

_How'd they find out, anyway?_ he wondered. _I bet that someone can be disqualified from the races for any number of reasons..._

Still, given the reaction he had been getting, he wasn't surprised when he was turned away from Daisy's abode.

"Princess Daisy is busy," one of the guards said, voice laced with disdain for Luigi.

_Okay, I really want to know what the public thinks I did._

"Then could you send her a message for me?"

"No."

The answer was brutal and final, and Luigi squared his shoulders against the rudeness. "Fine," Luigi answered evenly.

He turned away and had taken a few steps before a voice pulled him up short.

"Luigi!"

Luigi turned to see Daisy running towards him, and the guards reluctantly parted for her.

"Daisy," Luigi said, relief blooming in his chest at the sight of his love.

"How dare people assume that you set the race up yesterday to make you look good!" Daisy said once she had reached him, her eyes bright with anger. "I swear, when I find out who spread that rumor..."

"Aha," Luigi tugged apprehensively on his mustache. "Well, I should prove that I'm not what they're saying I am, right? That I wouldn't do something like stage a race."

"I'll vouch for you, they'll take my word. I'm a Princess"

"You're also my _g-girlfriend,_ Daisy. They won't believe you because of that." Luigi hated that he stumbled over the word 'girlfriend' every time, but still couldn't entirely believe that a woman would want to be with _him_. "Mario said that he overheard you saying a town is overrun with ghosts…?"

Daisy's expression clouded with worry and she nodded. "Yes. But, you're terrified of ghosts."

Luigi didn't manage to hide his wince effectively, given how Daisy lightly patted his upper arm. "I am. But, then, won't me clearing out that town convince people more than anything else that I'm not…what I've been accused of?"

Daisy hummed, which told Luigi that she saw the merit in his argument but still didn't entirely approve of the idea.

"Well, if you're set on it, the village isn't that far outside the Capital, so you can see how it's important that the ghosts are chased out."

'Not that far' was a very subjective statement. The Village was within a day's walk of the Capital, which, to Luigi, was still fairly far. He wasn't the kind for physical exercise, but if that was what it took, so be it.

Luigi nodded. "Right. I'll get on that."

Daisy gave him a smile and said, "I will always love you."

"I love you, too," Luigi replied, taking her words to heart. "I'll be back soon!"

Luigi didn't dare to kiss her with two guards watching, so he simply kissed the back of her hand before turning to go back to his home.

Daisy had other ideas, however, given how she grabbed his hand, turned him around, and kissed him on the lips.

"Come back to me, no matter what. You're _my_ hero, no matter what anyone else says. Remember that."

Luigi gave her a grin and nodded. "Right. I'll be back soon."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Daisy kissed him again and shooed him away.

Even the fact that Mario was, unfortunately, still at home and reading the paper did nothing to dampen Luigi's good mood.

"Hey," Luigi said and Mario responded with a grunt.

"I'm going to the out," Luigi said. "I'll be back later."

"'Kay," Mario replied and Luigi ascended the stairs to his own room.

It didn't take long to collect the Poltergust, a portable version of the Portrificationizer, and some other small things he'd need, idly hoping that the town would still be able to supply him if he needed anything more. Once he was packed, he left and was surprised to see a Yoshi waiting for him just outside his home, obviously willing to bear him to his destination.

Luigi gave her a smile, which was responded to with a chirp. Luigi carefully maneuvered onto the Yoshi's back, and once he was settled, they took off.

Yoshi were poor conversationalists unless one knew their language, which Luigi did not, so they settled into a surprisingly companionable silence.

_She thinks I'm innocent,_ Luigi thought, darkly amused.

Admittedly, all the accusations were true, but he couldn't let on to that.

It had been easy.

It had been _fun_.

He hadn't though anyone would notice. They hadn't before.

_Perhaps it was because they were all too focused on Mario to notice what I was doing,_ Luigi mused as the scenery passed swiftly by.

They reached the village at dusk, and it became obvious that something was terribly wrong. The Toadstools that usually made their homes in the area were clumped together in camps, clinging to each other and casting nervous glances towards where their real homes were.

The Yoshi brought Luigi to the Toadstool that was obviously the leader. Once Luigi had dismounted, the Yoshi gave Luigi a long, slobbery, loving lick before trotting away, probably to rest.

The Toadstools' leader gave Luigi a critical once-over and obviously found him wanting.

"We wanted Mario, but I guess you'll do," the mayor said and Luigi barely resisted the urge to kick the smaller creature, reminding himself that he was trying to prove himself a _hero_. Heroes didn't hurt the people they were trying to save.

_Right?_

"You have a ghost problem?" Luigi prompted, and the mayor gestured for Luigi to follow.

"We think King Boo is responsible," the mayor said. "There have been rumors that he's set his sights of the Capital, afterall…"

Calling what had happened to the town a _problem_ was an understatement of epic proportions. Every house was obviously haunted, and the streets swarmed with spirits. Luigi was _not_ looking forward to trying to clean it up, even with the Poltergust.

"You're gonna chicken out, aren't you? Great, just _great,_" the mayor muttered. "I _knew_ I should have specified that we needed Mario."

Luigi looked sharply to the mayor, and Luigi immediately felt the distinct need to re-learn how to keep a leash on his temper, from how the mayor took a number of _very_ quick steps back.

"I'll take care of it," Luigi said tonelessly. "Just keep everyone out of the way. We don't want anyone else to get hurt, right?"

Luigi nearly stomped his way towards the village, but his temper cooled quickly when a gust of preternaturally cold wind swept up and around him.

Luigi shuddered and terror raced through him. He _hated_ ghosts. He was terrified of them, and he had no idea why he thought that being a hero was a good thing. If being a hero meant facing things like ghosts, he'd prefer to go back to the shadows.

Except that was a lie.

Luigi looked over his shoulder at the Poltergust strapped to his back and let out a long sigh that ended in a sob. Maybe doing this would prove that he was a hero and he'd never have to face ghosts _ever again_.

Except he knew that that, too, was a lie.

Being a hero meant facing your fears and conquering them time and again. It meant not flinching and running when other people would. Luigi wasn't sure he had that kind of steel naturally, but he was damn well going to develop it if such was what was needed to wrench himself out of Mario's shadow.

Luigi stopped at the end of the street and took a deep breath.

_I can do this. Just one house at a time._

Luigi's skin was crawling as he slowly opened the first door, peaking inside. He nearly slammed the door shut at the sight of four ghosts hovering in the living room. Still, he needed to prove that he was a good guy, and if that involved clearing out ghosts, so be it.

Luigi took a deep breath, then dashed inside.

Before the ghosts had much time to react, Luigi had captured three of them in the Poltergust, and the fourth fled deeper into the house. Luigi frowned at the reaction and gave chase.

He eventually cornered it in the basement, where it cowered, Luigi's flashlight forcing it visible and freezing it in place.

Luigi knew that some ghosts were, while not _friendly_, at least indifferent to non-ghosts, and that one was trying to avoid Luigi rather than attacking him was…intriguing.

"Why are you here?" Luigi asked, the Poltergust still leveled at the spectre. "If you're gonna cause trouble, I'm gonna make you leave."

The ghost looked at Luigi (or Luigi thought it looked at him) and said, "This was the only place we could go. Ghosts can't be outside except at night, or else they disappear. We had no other place to go…"

"No other place to go?"

"We were driven from our homes by humans," the ghost replied. "Many of us barely made it here."

An idea tugged at Luigi, and he took a moment to consider it. It wasn't particularly _heroic_, but Luigi himself wasn't either. It wasn't like he was actively using the Mansion anyway…

"Look, I have a deal for you," Luigi said, but didn't lower the vacuum cleaner's nozzle. "You and all the ghosts here get in the vacuum, which'll let you travel during daytime, right?"

The ghost looked intrigued.

"I have a really big house that I'm not using. Let's say I give it to you all. Will that keep you from causing trouble elsewhere?"

The ghost blinked three times with its large yellow eyes. "How big of a house?"

"It's held a lot of ghosts before."

"You're not lying…?"

Luigi shook his head. What was the point if it meant he wouldn't have to fight?

"Not everyone will want to go."

"Then I'll capture the ones who want to use the Mansion, send them along, and then trap the ones who won't behave."

"Trap them?"

"In paintings."

"_You!"_ the ghost gasped. "But, but, you…why would you want to _help_ ghosts…?"

Luigi sighed. "Because I don't _like_ fighting and there are a whole lot of you here."

The ghost was silent for a long moment. "Fine. I don't know why, but…all of the ones who will take you up on your offer will come to this house. Just wait here."

Luigi nodded, and the ghost disappeared. It had dawned on Luigi that he could quite possibly be waiting in a trap, but Luigi could make it equally a trap. _He_ had a weapon, afterall.

_How did they know about me, though? Is there some kind of ghost-world that no-one knows about it, where they get together and hang out or something?_

The very idea made Luigi shudder.

It didn't take long for the ghost to return, and from how none of the other ghosts made to attack, Luigi's shoulders relaxed marginally.

"You'll hold to your promise. You'll take us to the Mansion and then leave us alone," the ghost he had been speaking to said.

"Promise," Luigi said solemnly.

By the time he had sucked up all the ghosts, the Poltergust was full. When he ascended the stairs and moved out into the street, it was to find that he had about half of the population trapped in the Poltergust.

He quickly ascended the hill to the Toadstool camp and gave the Mayor a nod before turning his attention to the Yoshi. He changed bags on the Poltergust and handed the full one to the Yoshi.

"I need you to go to my Mansion and drop this off. Open it when you get there, then leave."

The Yoshi looked at the bag curiously, but nodded and trotted away once Luigi gave her directions to his quasi-home-away-from-home.

Luigi turned back to the village and sighed silently.

"What was that?" the Toadstool mayor asked.

"Trapped ghosts," Luigi replied and readjusted the Poltergust on his back. "Back to work."

The ghosts that remained in the town were there to actually cause mischief, which made them much harder to catch, since they fought back.

Once they figured out what he was doing and how much he could do, they came at him in swarms. He could collect a maximum of three at a time, but he found himself pushed hard enough that he was limited to one at a time—if he was lucky.

He dodged a strike from one of the phantoms and turned the Poltergust on high, catching its tail and reeling it in quickly. Luigi was sweating from the constant movement that was required, but was shaking with chills because of the cold that clung to the ghosts and, by proxy, the environment. He was breathing hard, and it was taking every ounce of his nearly non-existent courage to keep him in the town and not running for the hills.

He found himself trapped in a dead-end with the Poltergust full of captured ghosts.

_No! It can't end this way! It _can't!_ I promised Daisy…_

At that moment, the sun crested the horizon, and every ghost that was outside a house immediately vanished into nothingness.

Luigi's heart was pounding, and he couldn't help but voice a disbelieving laugh of relief.

_Thank god,_ he thought. _Some luck for once._

He shifted the Poltergust on his back and looked up at the hill he needed to climb to get back to the camp. He knew that if he didn't go up, they wouldn't believe that he had captured all the ghosts he had, so he did his best to ignore his exhaustion and made his way slowly up the hill.

When he finally crested into camp, he expected at least _one_ person to look at him and ask if he was okay.

Instead, not a single thanks was uttered, the focus being on moving back into their homes.

"But there might still be some there!" Luigi said, trying to catch the mayor's attention. "I need another night."

The mayor looked over to Luigi and frowned. "You're not done? Mario would be done. If only they had sent me _him_ instead of _you_…"

Luigi stared and instead of thanks, his need for another night earned him angry glares and muttered comments regarding his ineptitude.

Luigi stared at the Toads around him and staggered back a few steps under the force of their disdain.

_I don't believe it. I don't _believe…

Bile rose in Luigi's throat and he turned away quickly, not wanting them to see the angry tears that gathered in the corners of his eyes.

_I can never do enough._

Luigi spent the day changing the ghosts he caught into paintings before hiding them where they would never be released. Twilight was falling by the time he had finished that task. Luigi looked down into the town, and sighed softly. He was pretty sure that there weren't many ghosts left, but he wanted to make sure he got every last one, because he _knew_ that word would get back regarding any one he missed.

Luigi trudged back down into the town and went house-by-house, searching out ghosts. The only ones left were the smart ones, which meant they were the strongest. Luigi had gotten no sleep, so he wasn't as sharp as he should have been, but, he had agreed to clear the town of ghosts, and if he didn't, he wouldn't purge his name of suspicion, so it _had_ to be done.

Luigi blinked at the phantom that inhabited the final house he entered.

_Oh, no…_

King Boo himself floated in the parlor, and gave Luigi a malicious grin.

"Why, if it isn't my favorite plumber," the ghost crooned, and Luigi took a number of quick steps back, only to find himself thudding against a closed door.

"Wh-what do you want, Boo?" Luigi asked, trying to put strength he knew he didn't have in his voice. "I defeated you before, I can do so again."

The ghost king scoffed. "You couldn't defeat your own shadow right now. But, come, try your luck!"

King Boo rushed Luigi, and Luigi cried out in horror. He barely ducked in time, but was pushed aside by a paranatural wind, tumbling into furniture.

_They're going to say Mario wouldn't have damaged anything, that the fight was easy._

"Don't lose focus, _Weegee_."

Luigi bristled, anger giving him focus. "Don't you _ever_ call me that."

"Hit a nerve, have I?" King Boo drawled before Luigi pressed an attack.

Luigi had to constantly be aware of both where he was _and_ where King Boo was, and combined with his exhaustion and the ferocity of Boo's attacks, he was left barely able to stand.

_I can't lose. I can't lose!_

Luigi faceplanted and skidded along the wood floor, leaving a burn on his cheek. Luigi sprawled out, panting. _Why not give up? I'm obviously not cut out to be a hero. Just fail here and never stray out of Mario's shadow. Was it really so bad there? I can't do this, I'm not a hero, why am I trying…?_

"Pathetic," Boo sneered and Luigi grimaced against the floor.

_I'll give up after this. Catch him and go home. Don't care about what those Toads say, it doesn't matter anyway. I promised Daisy I'd come back to her, and I'm sure I'm better than Mario at _something_, I just need time and patience to find it._

Luigi's body protested moving, but he managed to roll onto his back, pull up the wand to the Poltergust, and surprise King Boo. The ghost had obviously thought it had Luigi beaten, and was drawn into the vacuum as it voiced a screech of frustration, joining the other ghosts that had infested the town.

Luigi closed his eyes and took great gulps of air, trying to find energy in him _somewhere_. He had to make it up the hill, had to show that he wasn't tired, he really wasn't, that the captures had been nothing. Okay, sure, maybe there was a little damage to _one_ house, but, really. He had fought King Boo!

Luigi shoved himself to his feet and staggered out of the house and down the deserted street. Above him, the stars shone brightly and he gave the sky an empty smile.

Suddenly, star after star plummeted towards the ground, but Luigi wasn't able to find it in himself to care that he was _so close_ to a star-shower. All that mattered was completing the task. After that, he could rest.

He nearly had to crawl the final few meters up the hill, but he made it on his feet. The Toads were all busy collecting the falling stars, so no-one saw Luigi's triumphant, weary return except for the one Yoshi who had helped him. She watched him transform the ghosts into paintings, and then helped him drag them someplace different from where he had hidden the other ghosts. The only ghost he didn't transform was King Boo, opting to keep the ghost caged in the Poltergust instead. He didn't want there to be any chance that someone could unwittingly release the villain back into the world.

He turned the Poltergust off and gave the Yoshi a faint smile as the sun broke over the horizon. "All done."

The Yoshi cheeped something that was probably encouragement and helped Luigi onto her back.

Luigi felt that falling asleep on a moving Yoshi was probably a _bad idea_, but he must have passed out at some point, since it was only when they stopped in front of his home that Luigi realized he had.

"Thanks," he murmured to the Yoshi, still groggy and exhausted, and, after Luigi had slid out of the saddle, the Yoshi opened the door to his house for him, then closed it quietly after Luigi.

It was a little after mid-day, and Mario wasn't around, which was a small mercy.

Luigi contemplated going to see Daisy to prove to her that he was okay, but figured that his current state would do nothing to assuage any worry she had.

_I'll see her tomorrow. Or whenever I wake up. So that I can be coherent and not just stare glassy-eyed at nothing until I pass out._

Content with his resolution, Luigi took a brief shower, just to get the clingy, cobwebby feeling of ghost off of his skin, then collapsed on his bed, only half in his pajamas.

_How does he do it?_ Luigi wondered. _Maybe I should leave it to him. Maybe it's better to not be known. Maybe…_

_Maybe I'm not meant to be someone._


End file.
